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The Grateful Dead’s Next ‘Road Trip’

The next installment in the Grateful Deads Road Trips series will focus on the groups famed 1990 performances at New Yorks Madison Square Garden. The Dead returned to MSG for a series of shows from September 14-20, 1990, just two months after the untimely death of storied keyboardist Brent Mydland. While still dealing with the loss of Mydland, the Grateful Dead hired former Tubes keyboardist Vince Welnick and quickly debuted its final lineup in Cleveland on September 7, 1990. Longtime friend Bruce Hornsby also offered his services and joined the group as an auxiliary member for nearly two years, beginning with the second night of the Grateful Deads Madison Square Garden run on September 15.

With Hornsby playing acoustic piano and accordion and Welnick on
keyboards, the Grateful Dead was able to expand its sound and, at times, breakdown into a series of small combos. The meat of Road Trips Volume 2 Number 1 features highlights from the final two show from the Madison Square Garden run, September 19 and 20.
A bonus disc also documents the September 18 show from the Garden, including choice versions of ‘Foolish Heart,’ ‘Eyes of the World,’ the rare ‘To Lay Me Down’ and ‘Picasso Moon.’ Road Trips Volume 2 Number 1 is a companion piece to the 1997 release Dick’s Picks Vol. 9, which features the Deads entire September 16 performance at the Garden.